Woosnam joined in the post-match celebrations, spraying champagne around while team-mates enjoyed some Guinness.

Clarke said he was overwhelmed by the support he had received since the loss of his wife Heather - particularly from Woosnam.

"I have to say again how grateful I am to Ian Woosnam for having given me a place in this wonderful winning team," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"The support I had from my team-mates and their partners, along with the American players and their other halves, was phenomenal, starting with what happened on the first tee on Friday [where Clarke received a huge cheer from the crowd]."

Woosnam was also quick to pay tribute to the role played by the K Club crowd.

"They've really got behind us and it's made a big difference," he enthused.

"I knew it was going to be loud here but I didn't think it was going to be as good as this."

Luke Donald, who beat Chad Campbell 2&1 to ensure the trophy was retained, said: "Chad beat me quite comprehensively two years ago but it was not about revenge.

"It was about 14½ points. We won every other round on both days and we wanted to go out there and get as many as we could.

"We had so much confidence in the team, we believed they would have to do something spectacular to win. We've had 12 great players playing all week."